James Dennison

Book Review: The Greens in British Politics: Protest, Anti-Austerity and the Divided Left

In The Greens in British Politics: Protest, Anti-Austerity and the Divided Left, James Dennison draws on statistical data as well as interviews with UK Greens to offer an account of the recent evolution of the Green Party of England and Wales and the Scottish Green Party. While the book suffers from some repetition of content and its findings are somewhat overshadowed […]

The ultimate causes of Brexit: history, culture, and geography

Xenophobia, austerity, and dissatisfaction with politics may have contributed to the Brexit vote. But James Dennison and Noah Carl write that, although a number of concerns may have tipped the balance, Brexit was ultimately decided by more than recent events. Here, they demonstrate how the UK has been the least well-integrated EU member state, and so the closer the EU […]

Populist personalities? The Big Five Personality Traits and party choice in the 2015 UK general election

To what extent are decisions at the ballot box driven by a voter’s personality? In this article, James Dennison examines the association between personality traits and party choice in the UK’s 2015 general election. He finds, among other things, that UKIP and Green voters are the most closed and open-minded respectively.

Why people vote for certain parties remains one of the most regularly investigated […]

From Devo-max to West Lothian-Max

The changes to Westminster politics in Scotland in 2015 are likely to be without historical precedent. In this post, James Dennison discusses the implications of these changes in the context of the “West Lothian” question. He argues that the election of a large number of SNP MPs is likely to greatly exacerbate tensions that were previously dormant, and could […]

A Lib-Lab coalition is perfectly possible – with the SNP as the silent partner

There has been extended discussion over the different types of agreement between Labour and the SNP that would enable Ed Miliband to become Prime Minister after May 7th. In this post, James Dennison suggests an alternative scenario in which Labour forms a coalition with the Liberal Democrats, while relying on the support of the SNP as a ‘silent’ partner.

The Loser Takes It All – The SNP after the referendum

The independence referendum has given SNP support a level and fervency that makes them a unique force in British politics, writes James Dennison.

If a political party were ever lucky enough to find itself in the SNP’s current position in Scotland, but across the entire United Kingdom, it would be heading towards the biggest landslide in British political history. The […]

Green Party voters look like Lib Dems, think like Labour voters and are as dissatisfied as ‘Kippers

Green voters are not radically left-wing on economic issues nor are they primarily driven by environmental concerns, finds James Dennison. Instead, the Greens are the natural alternative for disgruntled Liberal Democrats – the party’s prospective voters appear to be of the mainstream, centre-left, but have become dissatisfied with the traditional parties.

Though the Green Party’s popularity may continue to rise, it is too ideological to become a ‘UKIP of the Left’

There was an air of confidence at the Green Party annual conference last weekend, with keynote speeches painting a clear target on Labour. James Dennison argues that, though the Green Party is likely to see its vote share increase over the next few years, it neither has the anti-elite credentials nor the untapped demographic to enjoy the successes of UKIP.